Those We Least Expect
by TheOneAndOnlyT87
Summary: [ErkSerra] Sometimes, it can be those we least expect who are trying to help us the most...Oneshot.


Well, walking home from school one day, I was suddenly hit by inspiration! (And it left a nasty bruise, too.) Everyone seems to love the Erk/Serra pairing, but there is never any romance between them in the game, so I decided to make some for them. This takes place after Unfulfilled Heart, as Lyn and the others are tracking the Black Fang to their fortress. Enough with the introduction, let's get on with the story.  
  


* * *

  
The young purple-haired sage smiled excitedly as he opened the blue book in front of him. The tactician had found the tome in the back of a nearby store; the vendor stating that no mages wanted to try mastering it as the spell was so complicated. The tactician, however, was confident in the sage's ability, and so he had bought the rare tome.  
Erk's first glance at the pages of the blue tome proved the vendor's claim correct—the pages were completely covered in arcane chants. It would take long hours of study before he could master all of the chants and create the Fimbulvetr spell on his own.  
Of course, long hours of study were nothing new to Erk—he had been studying magic for as long as he could remember. He remembered the exhilaration he had felt when he had first created a simple Fire spell, and that excitement of studying and creating magic had stayed with him all of his life. He _lived_ to study magic.  
Grinning, he began to recite the first of the chants.  
  
"Oh Eeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk!"  
A high-pitched feminine voice emanated from outside of Erk's tent. He immediately had one thought:  
_Serra.  
_ He swore that the pink-haired cleric had made it her personal mission to annoy him as much as possible. Every time he had a chance to sit down and study his magic, every time he wanted privacy..._she_ was always there.  
He had first met her in Lycia, having heard that a priestess needed an escort to Ostia. As it turned out, Serra had been that priestess. He had and still continually wondered exactly _how_ Serra had become a cleric. Her voice was loud to the point of annoyance, and she was seemingly clueless enough to take _every_ remark about her as a compliment, no matter what it was.  
"Erk!" Serra barged through the front flap of Erk's tent, carrying her staff and a brown book.  
Erk gave a slight sigh, looking up from the Fimbulvetr tome. "What is it, Serra?" he asked.  
But she seemed to have forgotten what she wanted to say the moment she entered his tent. She looked at the Fimbulvetr tome he had been poring over and quickly snatched it out of his hands.  
"_Another_ magic book?" she asked, staring at the book's cover. "Come on Erk," she went on, gesturing outside the tent, "why not do something _besides_ study magic for once?"  
Erk grabbed the Fimbulvetr tome back, slightly annoyed. "This is a new spell," he explained. "It takes awhile to learn a new magic spell, you know."  
"Of course I know, silly!" she giggled. She showed him the book she was carrying—a Shine book.  
Erk raised an eyebrow. He didn't recall Serra being able to use light magic...  
"When did _you_ start studying magic?" he asked.  
"Few days ago," she replied. "But unlike you, I don't let it take up all of my time."  
"And unlike you, I have some talent in this field," Erk retorted. Realizing the inevitable, he closed his eyes in annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
"Oh, how sweet!" Serra replied, completely oblivious. "Only a few days of study and you already think I'm talented!"  
Erk sighed. Nobody could be more clueless if they _tried...  
  
_ ...but Erk didn't know that she _was_ trying.  
Almost the moment after she had met Erk, Serra realized that he was the kind of person who kept to himself too much, who would not talk to anyone. Her questions were always answered with one word, or maybe a single sentence. He spent almost all of his time studying magic while they rested in their journey to escort her to Ostia.  
Serra couldn't stand seeing anyone live like that.  
And so she had started her act. It was minor at first: small interruptions while he was studying, asking how long it would take to get to Ostia as they traveled, that sort of thing. Nothing happened at first, but after awhile Erk began to get annoyed.  
And when Erk got annoyed, he was liable to actually _talk._ Maybe it was out of annoyance, but it was a start.  
Seeing her results, Serra began to extend her charade, acting completely oblivious. Now she got him to _do_ things besides study magic in addition to actually talking to her. Usually she would ask for a small favor, Erk replying that she could easily do it herself. But continual pestering (and maybe a sad puppy face thrown in here and there) was enough to get him to stop studying and do something else.  
After a while, Erk began telling her to just go away, and once in awhile he might even insult her. But Serra kept to her act, simply shrugging off the insults. Doing so allowed her to stay near him and got him to talk more.  
Finally, after their reunion in Laus (much to Erk's dismay), she got him to start doing favors for _other_ people in Eliwood's army. That got him talking to other people, which had been Serra's goal all along. He still studied magic in most of his free time, to be sure, but now he was actually making friends, having some conversations.  
And there was one certain person whom Serra could _always_ get Erk to do a favor for.  
"Look, Serra," Erk said, exasperated, "do you need me for something, or what?"  
Serra smiled inwardly as she played her trump card.  
"Oh, that's right!" she replied. "Priscilla needs some help learning anima magic."  
Erk's head shot up so fast at the mention of Priscilla's name that it was a miracle he didn't break his neck. "Oh, all right then," he said, getting up with renewed vigor. "I'll go help her." He strode out of the tent.  
Serra followed him, then watched from the entrance of the tent as he walked over to where Priscilla was standing in the distance. She smiled ruefully.  
One of the problems she had found with her charade of obliviousness was meeting other people. She had met Lyn and her friends coincidentally while traveling with Erk; in fact, if it hadn't been for her act, she and Erk might never have met Lyn at all. But traveling with Lyn caused a complication to arise: she couldn't act normally around Lyn and her friends, as Erk was also around. But she couldn't suddenly _stop_ her charade for Erk either.  
So she had continued her charade, making _everyone_ think that she was some air-headed pretty girl. She had thought that she might be able to end her act after she reached Ostia and Erk left her, but after acting oblivious to everyone for so long she found it hard to stop. Adding to that was the fact that Matthew had shown up in Ostia as well. Matthew and Serra had always rather detested each other, and Serra delighted in annoying the hell out of Matthew with her act.  
And so the charade had continued...and it kept going as she met Erk again in Laus and joined Eliwood's army. Now...well, it was still going now.  
Serra's smile faded as she saw Erk begin to help Priscilla. Lately, she had begun to have strange feelings when she saw Erk and Priscilla together. She knew what the feelings were—jealousy. But she didn't know why she had begun to feel this way about Erk. She knew there was no way he could like her back, what with the way she acted around him. And besides, he liked Priscilla anyway...  
  
"Oh, I just don't understand it!" Priscilla complained after failing to cast the Fire spell for the fifth time in a row. "I'm trying as hard as I can, and it's just not working!"  
"Calm down," Erk reassured her. "You can't expect to learn to use magic this quickly. Now let's try again...but first, just empty your mind of your stress. If you're agitated, it will be much harder to concentrate."  
"All right..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
Erk gave her a reassuring smile as she tried to relax. She certainly looked pretty like this...  
He had always been somewhat fond of Priscilla ever since the pair of them had joined Eliwood's army. He had first met her when he was asked to escort her to Etruria, but the marquess of Laus had detained them until Eliwood's army had shown up. Eliwood allowed her to travel with them, and Erk...well, he had sort of tagged along, at Serra's invitation.  
He had been rather dismayed when Lyn had decided it would be better for the men and women to share tents and Priscilla had ended up alone as the odd one out. He himself shared a tent with a girl named Rebecca, whom he didn't really care about either way. And ever since _that_ soldier had joined...  
"Okay, let's try again," Erk suggested.  
Priscilla closed her eyes in concentration and held out her hand palm up, muttering incoherent words. Unlike the last few attempts, however, her hand began to glow green. After a few seconds, a small flame appeared above it. Priscilla was so surprised at her success that she gasped, causing the flame to promptly vanish. But that didn't matter, she had done it.  
"Oh my!" she shouted, holding her hand to her chest. "I...I actually did it!"  
Erk smiled at her. "You did," he said.  
Priscilla smiled from ear to ear. "I can't believe it! Oh...I just _have_ to tell Heath about this!"  
Erk's smile vanished instantly, but Priscilla was too excited to notice.  
Of course. _Heath._ Having joined the army only recently, he ended up sharing a tent with Priscilla. And it was quite obvious to Erk that Priscilla was starting to like him. If he didn't tell her how he felt soon...  
Priscilla began to rush off to her tent, but Erk stopped her.  
"Wait," he called.  
She turned around, still beaming. "What is it?" she asked.  
"After you talk to Heath, come back to me," he said. "You'll still need to perfect the spell."  
"Of course," she replied, then ran off to her tent excitedly.  
Although it was true that she would have to work on the spell, that wasn't why Erk had told her to come back. He wasn't sure how she would react, and he was scared out of his mind...but he had to tell her how he felt. Before she fell in love with Heath...  
  
"Um...Lyn?" Serra asked with unusual shyness.  
Lyn turned around, stopping her practice sword thrusts. "What is it?" she replied.  
"Um...can I talk to you for a moment in private?" Serra asked.  
For an instant, Lyn's face held a look of confusion. _Probably because I'm not being loud like I usually am,_ Serra thought. _Not that I can blame her for wondering that...  
_ "Uh...sure," Lyn replied. "Come with me." She led Serra some distance away from the group of tents.  
"So...what do you need to talk to me about?" Lyn asked.  
Serra hesitated. "Well..." she began, "I'm not really sure why I'm asking you this, but..." she trailed off.  
"Yes?" Lyn helped her.  
"What would you do if...if you liked someone...but you knew they didn't like you back?"  
"Is this about Erk?" Lyn asked suddenly.  
Serra blushed, turning away. "Am I...am I that obvious?" she asked softly.  
"Not really," Lyn replied. "It's just that...well, I can't see you thinking about anyone else, you know?"  
Serra thought for a moment. "I guess..." she remarked. "But...what should I do?"  
"Well..." Lyn began, thinking. "Are you _sure_ Erk doesn't like you?"  
Serra grimaced. "Are you serious?" she replied. "Erk, he...he only sees me as an annoyance..." Her face fell.  
"Well, Serra..." Lyn said, "I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but I think you should tell him how you feel. Even if he doesn't like you back...it's better to get it off your chest than to worry about it."  
Serra sighed. "I...I guess you're right...it's just..." she trailed off again.  
"It's just what?" Lyn asked.  
"It's just so...hard, you know? I'm so nervous about telling him..." Serra said.  
"I know," Lyn replied. "But you shouldn't be like this...it's not like you. What happened to the loud, cheerful Serra I usually see?"  
Serra bit her lip. For a moment, she considered telling Lyn everything...how she had started acting like she did, all for Erk...but she decided against it.  
"Well..." she took a deep breath, "okay. Thanks, Lyn. I'll...I'll try to tell him."  
Lyn smiled at her. "Good luck," she said, before walking back to the tents.  
Serra took another deep breath. If she was going to tell Erk how she felt...would that mean she would have to tell him about her charade as well?  
  
Erk watched as Priscilla came out of Heath's tent. His heart was hammering. _This is it,_ he thought. _Now or never.  
_ "Erk," she said as she approached him.  
"Yes?" Erk replied, trying not to stutter.  
"I just wanted to say," she began, "thank you for helping me so much with this. I don't think I could have ever learned magic without your help."  
"Oh, well...anytime, Priscilla," Erk said, smiling weakly. He was so nervous that he was sure Priscilla could see him shaking.  
He was right. "Erk..." she said, "are you all right? You're very pale..."  
Erk looked away. "I...I don't know," he replied.  
"Do you want me to get my staff?" she suggested. "It might help..."  
"No, it's all right," Erk said. Mustering up all of his courage, he continued, "Priscilla...there's something I need to tell you."  
"Yes?" came her response.  
Erk managed to get himself to look at her face. She simply stared back at him, her green eyes wide and curious.  
"Priscilla, I..." He couldn't keep her gaze. He looked at the ground, unable to go on.  
"What is it?"  
"I..." he tried again, "I don't know how to tell you this...but..." Again, he trailed off.  
"Yes?" she helped him.  
"It...it's just that..." The next words came out in a rush, before he could stop himself, "I think you're just such a nice and kind person and that you're very pretty and...and..." he paused to catch his breath, "I...I really like you, Priscilla..." He felt like he was going to faint.  
He waited, too nervous to look at her, for a moment, then another without a response. When he finally managed to look at her, he saw her biting her lip in indecision.  
"Erk..." she said, after what seemed like an eternity, "I...I'm really sorry..."  
She didn't need to go on. The feeling that he was going to faint was replaced by a feeling that he was going to burst out crying.  
"Oh..." was all he could say.  
They both stared at each other for another moment, Erk's face filled with sadness, Priscilla's with helplessness.  
Erk didn't want to deal with the pain. He couldn't deal with the pain. He turned and ran back to his tent on the verge of tears. He wasn't even able to hear Priscilla call his name as he ran.  
When he got inside his tent, he simply flung himself on his bed, and he cried.  
  
Serra saw Erk run. Then she saw Priscilla, and the expression on her face told Serra everything.  
She knew what Erk would be like now. He would simply lay on his bed and not let anyone talk to him.  
But she was determined to get through to him.  
  
Erk heard the front flap of his tent open. His first thought was that it was Priscilla coming to apologize.  
"Go away," he said, his voice breaking.  
To his surprise, he heard Serra's voice. "Erk..." she said, "what's the matter?"  
He looked up from his bed, his face tear-streaked and his eyes narrowed. "Get out," he commanded more harshly than he intended. "I don't want to talk to you right now."  
"Erk..." she repeated softly, stepping closer to him, "please, I just want to help..."  
"I don't _want_ your help!" he shouted, sitting up. He felt angrier than he ever had in his life. "Go _away!_"  
But she didn't listen. Instead, she sat down next to him on his bed. She stared at him sadly for a moment, then she did something he never expected.  
She put her arms around him, placing her head on his shoulder.  
"Erk..." she said, "just let it all out...I won't tell anyone..."  
Erk hesitated for a moment, then let himself go. He flung his arms around her small frame, crying into her shoulder. He cried harder than he had ever cried in his life.  
Serra just continued to hold him.  
He didn't know how long he cried, nor did he care. Serra held him throughout the entire time.  
When he finally finished, he looked up, wiping his eyes. Serra let go of him, but stayed next to him.  
"Do you...do you want to talk to me now?" Serra asked slowly.  
Erk looked away from her, then at the floor. "I told her..." he said.  
"What?" Serra asked.  
"I told Priscilla I liked her, okay?" he replied. He felt the anger he had felt before coming back.  
Serra couldn't think of a suitable response. "Erk..." was all she managed to say.  
"It's just not fair..." Erk said, his anger disappearing as quickly as it had come. He buried his face in his hands.  
Serra placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know, Erk..." she said. "But...you'll find someone someday..."  
Erk chuckled mirthlessly. "That's easy for you to say...but you don't understand..."  
Serra remained silent.  
"It's not fair..." Erk said again. "Nobody...nobody cares about me..."  
"That's not true, Erk," Serra responded. "You know it isn't..."  
"But it _is_!" he shouted. "Nobody cares..."  
"Erk..." Serra said. "You know some people care about you. _I_ know some people care about you."  
"Oh really?" Erk asked. "Like _who_?"  
"Like..." Serra hesitated. "Like me..."  
"You?" Erk asked incredulously. "Since when do _you_ care about me? All you've ever done is annoy me!"  
Serra looked at the ground. "Is that...is that really how you feel about me?" she asked.  
"Why should I feel any different?" Erk asked, annoyed. "It's all you do, Serra..."  
Serra stood up, looking away from him. "No, Erk..." she said. "You don't understand..."  
"What do you mean?" Erk asked.  
"Erk..." she said. "I'm not like this. I'm not like you think I am..."  
"What?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"  
"Erk..." she repeated. There was a long pause. "When I first met you, I knew that you were the kind of person that didn't want to talk to anyone...so I started acting like what you think I am...just an annoyance..."  
Erk was thoroughly confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"  
"I started acting like I did because it got you to talk, Erk.... You never used to talk, you were always the dark, secretive type. So I pestered you to talk...then to do other things. All you ever did was study magic, Erk...I didn't want to see you waste away like that."  
Erk was stunned. All this time, when he had thought Serra was an annoyance...she had been trying to help him?  
"Erk," Serra continued, her eyes now welling with tears, "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be talking to anyone. You'd just be studying magic day and night. I pestered you because I didn't want to see you like that... I pestered you so you would talk to me, to other people."  
Erk remained silent, still too shocked to speak.  
"A-And now," Serra went on, "after all this time..." She began to cry. "When I-I thought...that I was starting t-to really like you...you tell me that I'm just a-an a-annoyance..."  
"Serra..." Erk finally said, "why...why didn't you tell me this before?"  
She shook her head. "B-because...I didn't know how you would react..." she replied. "I...I couldn't just t-tell you..."  
Erk couldn't think of a response, so he remained silent, looking away from her.  
"Erk..." Serra said. "I-I said that you'd find somebody...someday..."  
Erk looked at her.  
"I-I really like you, Erk," she continued. "I w-want to be th-that someone..."  
Erk stared at her for a moment, thinking.  
No...he didn't feel any love for her. But maybe, if he got to know her as she really was...  
"Serra..." Erk said, "we should...we should start over. I want to know what you're really like..."  
Serra gave him a teary smile. "Yes...I-I'd like that."  
She stared at him for a moment longer before wrapping her arms around him.  
"Thank you, Erk..." she said.  
Erk smiled.  
"No, Serra," he said. "Thank you."  
  


* * *

  
(12:46 AM) Whew! Glad I finally got that finished.  
Well, I know some of you are going to think that the whole "charade" idea is a little farfetched. But come on. There is _no way_ that anyone could be as oblivious as Serra is without trying somehow.  
Thanks to Samuraiter, if you're reading this, for the idea to have Erk also like Priscilla. Originally I wasn't intending to include it, but as I wrote this story I thought it would be a great idea to have.  
So anyway...what do you guys think of this story?  
  
Please review!!!  
-TheOneAndOnlyT  



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